Name: Liea Charylle A.

Espiritu Subject: MNGT 2105

Section: HRDM 2-1 Assignment/Activity No. 2

Why Study Environmental Management Systems for Organizations?

"The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to
get everybody involved." – Richard Rogers

Our environment is the home of all living and nonliving organisms. Natural resources
enable people to live longer and prosper, providing all the help we need to survive. However,
although it is one of the things we all have in common, some people continue to be ignorant and
negligent in using and preserving the environment, resulting in our natural systems being
degraded over time and may threaten our long-term health and existence. As a well-known
statement highlighted above, engaging and involving ourselves is the only viable way to move
forward to a balanced and sustainable future. In line with this, I believe that the only way to
involve ourselves is to have adequate knowledge about the environment and to promote effective
practices for preserving and sustaining the environment, particularly in the corporate world.
Thus, we must study the Environmental Management System (EMS) as corporate students and as
part of humanity.
EMS is a systematic system created to assist organizations in managing the
environmental impacts of their operations and enhancing environmental performance
(Hellmonds, 2020). With this framework, the International Standardization Organization (ISO)
has created ISO 14001 as a framework and guideline for implementing EMS (Boiral, 2018). An
organization must operate effectively with consideration and care for the environment and
acknowledge the significance of promoting a sustainable community. Emphasizing its Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) to environmental preservation prevents and reduces carbon
emissions, minimizes their environmental impacts, and efficiently utilizes natural resources,
increasing its competitive advantage and brand identity.
Aside from that, an effective environmental management system significantly influences
an organization's financial performance. According to the research done by Miroshnynchenko et
al. (2017), internal green initiatives have a more valuable contribution to financial performance
and increase sustainability development in an organization. He also added that adopting
environmental practices may result in long-term economic and social development. I believe, in
my opinion, it is also because of the consumers' strong demand to support businesses engaged
and invested in corporate environmental responsibilities. Thus, knowing and applying
environmental management systems is vital as it can result in fulfilling an organization's social
obligations while meeting the satisfaction of its stakeholders and helping the company maximize
its shareholders' wealth which leads to profitability.
Furthermore, EMS ISO 14001 compliance influenced the employees' performance and
morale, as highlighted by several studies showing that employee engagement leads to motivation
and better performance. (Corbett, 1992) This proactive framework can also lessen the risk of
non-compliance and enhance public and employee health and safety procedures. EMS may also
help improve organizational management and employee stewardship and handle non-regulated
concerns like energy utilization (US EPA, 2021). Additionally, a firm that complies with EMS
can use its expenditures to train its workers in Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM), a
practice that combines supply chain management with environmental thinking to assist
businesses in enhancing their environmental performance. Thus, the corporation may leverage
pollution prevention skills and environmental knowledge on GSCM practices by reinforcing
employees to work in groups and continually strengthen their organization's environmental
performance (Al-Sheyadi, 2019).
Overall, as highlighted by the impacts and valuable advantages mentioned earlier,
practical and accurate implementations of environmental management systems benefit not just
the environment but also the organizations and the majority. After all, the environment is an
integral aspect of our life as human beings, so everyone must be involved in preserving and
protecting it for us to live and create a sustainable and safe community.

References

US EPA. (2021, September 28). Learn About Environmental Management Systems.

https://www.epa.gov/ems/learn-about-environmental-management-systems

ARETE PUBLICA ASSOCIATES - Peter H. Hellmonds. (2020, August 4). Corporate Social
Responsibility.
https://arete-publica.com/home_en/functions-en/corporate-social-responsibility-en

Miroshnychenko, I., Barontini, R., & Francesco, T. (2017). Green practices and financial
performance: A global outlook. Journal of Cleaner Production (pp. 340-351)

Boiral, O. (2018). [PDF] Adoption and Outcomes of ISO 14001: A Systematic Review | Semantic
Scholar.
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Adoption-and-Outcomes-of-ISO-14001%3A-A-S
ystematic-Boiral-Guillaumie/1d17a8b103c4ddb1d40541d9efd97a012537904e

Corbett L, Harrison N. (1992). Manufacturing performance and employee involvement: a study

of factors influencing improving. International Studies of Management & Organization
(pp. 21-33)

Al-Sheyadi, A. (2019, July 15). The complementarity of green supply chain management
practices and the impact on environmental performance. Aalto University’s Research
Portal.
https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/the-complementarity-of-green-supply-chain-mana
gement-practices-an